Assassin's Creed: Recruits
by big cheddars
Summary: The story of the Roman Brotherhood's youngest recruit, from his life-changing decision to his initiation into the order. Chapter 4 gonna be written in the next holiday I have. Year 11 is catching up to me, I've got no time to write in term-time.
1. A spontaneous decision

Assassin's Creed: Recruits

A/N Hey guys, new story, this was written a couple of months ago, never got round to uploading it, sorry for any formatting errors, it was half two in the morning, literally, and I'm not perfect (and it was written on my iPod). So enjoy, dunno if it's long enough for you guys, but it's got some action, some dialogue and a blond woman, something for everybody ;).

"Silvino, you going to pay for this or what, hey, dozy!" Silvino stopped staring at the three guards walking through the market. Emilio, the fruit seller, gave Silvino a smile as he fumbled at his belt for his money pouch. "Dreaming of joining the guard, you'll get yourself killed by the Assassin. Being a guard used to be worth it, now it's a death sentence. Rome isn't what it was."

"Hmm, thanks for the advice Emilio, and those apples, my mum's going to love these." 

"No problem, my young man, take care now." Silvino kept his head down as he walked through the market. The guards, dressed in their red Borgia livery, looked impressive in their armour. They carried very sharp-looking swords, and their helmets covered their faces. passers-by gave them dirty looks when they knew they weren't looking and their was no threat of retribution. Borgia Guards were notorious for their heavy-handed 'justice'. Silvino walked out of the market square.

He passed a stone building on the way back to his house. It was unremarkable, apart from the poster nailed to it. The poster showed a hooded figure, beneath it was the words 'wanted for crimes against the Borgia' he knew who it depicted, the Assassin. Rome's biggest threat, or it's saviour, depending on who you talked to. Silvino's mother believed that the Assassin would destroy Rome, she was a devout Christian. So her fifteen year old son thought that the Assassin was the best thing in the world.

Silvino was a rebel, but quietly, he didn't like the church, Father Adelfo constantly preached that the Assassin was the end of Rome, but all of Silvino's friends said that the Father was a madman and addicted to drink. Silvino was quietly thrilled by the stories about the Assassin, and believed he could never really be caught.

He was still looking at the poster when a man of medium height, dressed in a white robe with his hood up, walked up to the poster and tore it off the wall. Silvino was astounded, wondering who would defy the Borgia when their guards were only a few feet away. Then he realised, only one man. "Hey!" he called, "You, are you the Assassin? Tell me or I'll call the guards." It was a spur of the moment decision, Silvino had decided he was going to change his life in that moment. The hooded man turned to him, and he saw a young face with a proud nose and stormy-blue eyes, brown hair and eyebrows, and a average set of lips curved in a triumphant smile. "You would, would you?" Silvino nodded guardedly, "Well then, call them, I could be out of here in ten seconds, before they'd even draw their weapons, because I am an Assassin! But not the one you think." Silvino's look triumph fell, "Oh, well can you take me to him, I want to become an Assassin."

The man laughed, "So you want to be an Assassin, prove it, take this dagger and go kill a Borgia guard." Silvino glared, but caught the long knife that was tossed to him. He knew how to use it, but why would he do that. "Killing someone who has done nothing to harm me is not the Assassin's way I think, so no, I won't." The man was preparing a reply when the three guards from the market came out of it and into the street, and saw Silvino and the hooded man.

"_Assassino!_" The lead guard cried, and the three men drew their swords and began running towards the pair. Silvino turned, shot a grin at the Assassin, "Now I can prove myself to you, if we win, I will be a wanted man." The hooded man nodded "Then fight, young man!", then drew a sword from a slim sheath at his side, with his left hand he drew another, slimmer knife from a set of sheaths belted to his middle, he threw the small knife with a twisting motion, and it flew directly to the guard on the left. The knife, thrown so quickly, went through the guard's breastplate and lodged in his chest. The guard collapsed gurgling as blood dripped from his throat, but the other two charged on with cries of "_Traditore!_" and "You'll pay for all the death you've caused!"

The lead guard threw himself on the Assassin, and they began a fierce sword fight. Silvino ducked as the other guard swung a stroke with his sword which would have taken his head off. He thrust up instinctively with his dagger, but it slid off the guard's armour. The man laughed, then shoved Silvino backwards and the boy stumbled, falling down to land in the dust on his backside. The guard stabbed down, and Silvino rolled sideways, but the keen sword slashed a shallow cut on Silvino's arm. The boy cried out in pain, and the Assassin heard his plea for help, Silvino's enemy lifted him up and held him against the stone wall, drawing his sword back for the kill.

The Assassin saw, and reacted! He parried another thrust from his opponent, a bearded man of thirty five, and an experienced fighter. Then he feinted low, watched the guard block his intended strike a whipped his blade back up, holding the blade straight out in front of him and positioning the hilt by his ear. He rocked on his back foot to gain momentum, then ran forwards, bridging the gap between the fighters. His sword didn't waver, and it's deadly sharp point moved straight into the guard's unprotected neck. The blade emerged out the other side, covered in gore, and the Assassin flexed his arm, brought his other hand round and pressed a button on an intricate mechanism on his wrist. A gun's loud report shattered the relative quiet of the street, as a small crowd had gathered to watch the fight. The bullet, closely followed by a few wisps of smoke, shot through the dead guards suspended body, out the other side, and neatly into the back of the other guard.

To Silvino, his would-be killer just stopped, and his eyes glazed over as his grip faltered. The blood started pouring out of his back, and he crumpled on the ground. Dead. The Assassin seized the moment, he frisked the dead guards' corpses, took their bulging leather purses (full of money stolen from innocent civilians) and threw them to the crowd. "These men worked for the Borgia, and attacked me without any provocation, they deserved to die for their crimes against the people of _Roma_, so take their money, give up their corpses and tell the fresh guards that this is the work of an Assassin. for otherwise more guards will come, and if they think you guilty for the crime, they will murder you without reason. Looking for retribution among you."

The crowd started murmuring discontentedly, giving the two fugitives hard looks. The Assassin looked worried, "Let's go, I judged this wrong." He took Silvino's arm and started jogging away from the bodies. The crowd argued with itself, but settled for dragging the bodies away instead and grumbling about the deaths and the repercussions.

Silvino tried to digest all that had just happened as he was dragged through a maze of back alleys and streets, and up a pile of boxes onto the rooftops. He could see most of Rome, the huge bulk of the _Castel Sant Angelo_, the Pope's residence, and the crumbling- yet somehow mysterious, ruin of the Colosseum to the south.

Rome, Italy's jewel, it's heaven, but not now, not when the Borgia had their fingers in Rome, dividing it up like a pie. The Borgia, spawned from that murdering, incestuous bastard Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander VI) and his son Cesare had cast their ambitious gazes over Rome and Italy. They had corrupted the nation, Rodrigo excommunicating his enemies while Cesare used his military forces to annex them into Rome's territory. All this meant that Silvino, in requesting to join the Assassin's Guild, was going to become a vital part of this conflict.

The Assassin led Silvino East, to an old military barracks inhabited by Mercenaries and Thieves. Out in the countryside part of Rome, inhabited by farmers, outlaws and heavily armed guards. In the centre of the courtyard stood a stone structure, about the height of a man, with hollow sides covered over with metal grates. "The Assassin's Guild is a hidden place, and while you have convinced me to let you be trialled for our order, I cannot reveal the direct location to you. Do you understand, this doctor will give you a mixture that aids sleep, and you will be carried to our headquarters." The Assassin spoke sternly, and Silvino detected that he cared greatly for the Assassin's Guild and it's occupants.

He accepted, partly because he couldn't wait to see what being an Assassin was like and because he could see no other rational way. The doctor gave him a foul-tasting mixture and chuckled when he retched after swallowing "Pray you never get poisoned, boy, for my antidotes taste even worse." Then, to the Assassin, "He will wake up in three hours, and fall asleep inside of two minutes. Buona fortuna, and give _Messere_ Auditore my regards." The Assassin smiled, and nodded. As his heart slowed, Silvino made the link, Ezio Auditore was The Assassin, the first one, and the sworn enemy of the Borgia, he was the one spearheading the efforts to free Rome.

Silvino awoke comfortably, he was lying on a padded bench, it seemed. He was content to relax, but opened his eyes for a quick peek at where he was. Then he jumped, there was a woman standing over him, she was wearing a breastplate and several weapons, but she had pale blond hair that shimmered in the light of a lantern. She was wearing a white robe and hood under her armour. She laughed at his reaction, "He is awake, two hours and three minutes, either _Dottore_ Cesare is getting old or this boy is heavier than he looks! The good _Dottore_ must have got his dosage wrong" Several other people laughed at this, adult laughs. Silvino sat up, a questioning look on his face. He was in a large room, beautifully decorated with carpets and tapestries whose main colour was red or white.

He was in the middle of a group of men and women. He recognised the Assassin who brought him here, but apart from him there were two other men and the woman. One of the men, a nobleman, probably, wearing a long robe and sporting piercing eyes, cleared his throat. "Silvino, you were brought here by one of our Assassins after you showed promise in combat and a desire to become an Assassin, tell us why." Silvino was silent for a moment, still processing all that had happened and formulating a response. He hadn't really thought about why he wanted to join the Assassins, but it was better than his former life.

"Well, it's complicated, there are many reasons why I should want to, and many why I shouldn't, but in the end, I just wanted to become an Assassin because it's better than what my life would be otherwise. Firstly, my mother, she is a sour old bitch who never recovered my father joining the army after getting her pregnant. She has cared for me, but she never wanted a child, and tried to get rid of me a couple of times. Then there's the money, being an Assassin means killing people for money, and I'm perfectly fine with that, I've stolen and begged before. Killing is just another way to survive to me." At this, the man frowned and the first Assassin grimaced. The woman grinned and winked at Silvino, and the third man just stayed impassive.

Silvino continued, a little disconcerted by the reactions, "So being an Assassin is a way to survive, and it makes money, and it's something I always thought I'd enjoy, sneaking around on rooftops, bribing guards, hiding bodies, uncovering conspiracies. There are risks, but Ezio Auditore hasn't been caught yet, and he's most wanted man in Italy, since the Pope will do anything to get to him." The third man smiled and interrupted, his voice gentle, "Child, I am in danger every day of my life, it is my training and an acute sense of danger that keeps me walking, much to that pig Rodrigo's annoyance."

Silvino was shocked, here was Ezio Auditore, The One Assassin. "Are you him. The Assassin?" Ezio laughed, for it was him, and nodded. The noble man motioned for Silvino to sit back down, for he had risen to his feet in his surprise, he sat, embarrassed. The noble put his hands together, as if he was thinking, and fixed Silvino with a cold look. The man spoke "Silvino, you have told us your reasons. And now we, as the Higher Assassins, shall decide whether you should be accepted or not into the Assassin's Guild." Silvino nodded, it seemed likely that they would accept him. The three men left, but the woman stayed for a moment, "I like you, Silvino, I will argue for you, and so will _Maestro_ Ezio, I think. Don't do anything while we are gone, I will have a drink sent to you." Her voice was like that of a songbird in the spring: Clear and beautiful. Silvino nodded dumbly, stumbling over his reply "Thank you, I will be in your debt." The woman laughed and left, leaving Silvino hot and nervous.

He waited for half an hour, it seemed to him. A servant came in, a silent woman, she had dark skin, and an Eastern look about her. She carried a tray with a jug of cooled water and a silver goblet, inlaid with jewels. She put the tray down next to Silvino and left, not saying a word. Silvino waited, staying sat down, thinking about the choice he had made, how his mother would feel. And how his friends would think of him. He caught himself thinking they would admire him becoming an Assassin, and stopped that thought. Everyone he knew would think he was a fugitive, and a killer, in league with the Assassins. Earlier he had said he was a wanted man, but now it hit him. He could never go back to that neighbourhood he had grown up in. Never.

His revelations came to an end when the door opened and the four Assassins walked in. They stayed standing, the men looked grim, but the woman winked at Silvino. The noble spoke, sincerely but quietly. "Silvino, after careful deliberation, we Assassins have decided that you will be accepted into the Guild. Depending on who your allegiance lies with, this is a cause for celebration. For the rest of today, you will be shown around the Guild by your Master, _Maestro_ Rinaldo Rocca, the man who brought you here."

Silvino's worries evaporated, and he leapt up, "Thank you, _Maestros_, I will serve to the best of my ability." Ezio grinned, and slapped Rinaldo on the shoulder, "You have an apprentice, friend, train him well."

The Assassins dispersed, leaving Rinaldo and Silvino alone. The blue-eyed man looked sombre, "Silvino, I am you Maestro now, you must forget the ties to your old life and dedicate your life to the Assassins, you will fight evil where you find it. You will help the oppressed, the people and fight the Borgia, for this is our mission in Rome."

They talked for a long time, Rinaldo talking about the crimes of the Borgia, and Silvino remembering how the guards had made his life hell when it took their fancy, or how the priests stole money from the people and went to brothels. He talked about the thievery he saw on the streets, and the death that visited Rome so often. In the end, it was evening before Silvino actually saw the Guild.

He was shown the Recruits' dormitory, it had twelve beds, ten showed signs of occupation, but two were empty. Rinaldo smiled when he saw one of the empty beds, "Looks like you'll be having my old bed, Silvino. Until I was initiated into the Order, I slept in here with the other Recruits. You will have the bed, a chest for your clothes and several shelves for your possessions, this place is not private, and you will be encouraged to interact with your fellow Recruits. Any questions?"

Silvino looked over the room, he was fine with it, but several things Rinaldo had said had proved other questions he had. "Rinaldo, I have many questions, the first of which is; What do I address you, _Signor_ Auditore, and the other Higher Assassins as? And what do I address my fellow recruits as?"

Rinaldo became serious, "Me, Maestro Ezio, _Signore_ Machiavelli and _Signorina_ Emiliana as Maestro. Also, you speak when spoken to around them, unless they say so."

Silvino caught on quickly, and grinned when he answered, "Of course, _Maestro_. _Maestro_ Machiavelli, would that be the man in an expensive gown, instead of Assassin robes. And is _Maestro_ Emiliana the woman that woke me."

His voice softened when he spoke of Emiliana, and Rinaldo noticed the change, "Yes, and yes. And a word of advice about Emiliana, she is more than a match for most men in their prime, let alone boys. The rest of your questions will hopefully be answered on the rest of this tour, then you can sleep in your bed and tomorrow we will start training."

And so the tour continued. Silvino, was shown the Armoury, the indoor training grounds and the stables. The Assassins' Guild was located on Tiber Island and the Guild, a converted warehouse for the Orsini family, made up of three stories above ground and three below, was the biggest building on it. They had a tunnel system that covered most of Rome,with eighteen different entrances to different strategic points. The island had several shops, but no church, which suited Silvino. The people on Tiber Island were hard-working, they respected what the Assassins were doing, and tried not to get in their way. Rinaldo ended the tour by showing Silvino the different rooms inside the Guild itself. The kitchens, the Meeting Room, the reception and the hall located far under the building where Assassins were initiated into the Guild.

Throughout the tour, Silvino saw the people who worked in the Guild, there were servants, mainly kitchen staff, and there was a farrier and the stable-boys. But mostly what he saw were other Recruits, he wasn't introduced to them, but he saw certain differences between them and him. When asked why all the other recruits were adult men and women, mostly men, Rinaldo smiled at Silvino's worry that he wouldn't fit in.

"You see, Silvino, when _Maestro_ Ezio decided to form a Guild in Rome, he went out and helped citizens that he saw actively fighting the Borgia, I was his first recruit. I had got into an argument with a guard, he wanted to arrest my woman at the time. I disagreed, he got angry and made me watch while his men and him raped this girl and then murdered her. I didn't know her too well, we had only met a few days before but I had an attachment to her. Her death showed me the corruption in the world, and I wanted to start ridding it of evil. I hated that the Borgia guards thought they owned the common people like slaves. I took my revenge on that captain, I found who his wife was, and when I went to murder her I saw she was as bad as her husband, a born coward, but I wanted the captain to pay, so I killed her. She was no innocent, so don't judge me on that, and the captain came home to find his wife's stabbed body, and he did not cry, he shrugged and said 'I suppose I have to avenge her.' I was appalled at this lack of compassion, so I killed the captain, and I made him pay for his crimes. And as he died he sneered at me, and I ran, because those two were evil, and part of me was disgusted by my actions and part of me was proud that I'd made the world slightly better. Then the rest of the guard found me drunk, and I ran again, and Ezio found me, fighting with some guards and running for my life, and he saved me, and pledged my life to him there and then, and so I was recruited"

Rinaldo's story had taken a long time, but he continued and answered Silvino's original question, apologising for his distraction. "So that is normally how Maestro Ezio recruits his Assassins, he saves desperate people from the Borgia and gives them a life, you were the first Recruit to ask to come here, and the youngest. It shows that Assassins are showing people not to cower to the Borgia, but many still live under oppression. Emiliana was the next recruited, and the next initiated to Assassin rank. Three other Recruits are nearing the end of their training. judging by their progress, it will take about a year. But with you being so young, it might be faster for you to be fully trained."

Silvino went to bed that night excited and exhausted. When he had asked what he would be doing tomorrow, Rinaldo had remained cryptic, hut smiled at his eagerness. Silvino had no possessions, so he did not need to arrange his things, he just crept into bed and fell asleep. He was still clothed in the dirty homespun shirt and breeches he had worn for most of his life.


	2. A confusing day

Chapter 2

A/N Hey again guys, second chapter now, this was also written ages ago, but I've formatted it, rewritten some of it, made it easier to understand and generally improved on what was here. Any spelling/grammar errors are entirely my fault, and any Italian words should be in italics, if they aren't could you inform me in a review, otherwise I won't ever get round to changing them. Hope you enjoy, and like the way I write, and if you do write a review, bless you, otherwise I won't have the motivation to keep this going, I write for fun, but fun without purpose is self-destructive. Insert epic Japanese quote, win ;).

He awoke when the big window at the end of the room was lit up in sunlight, the other Recruits were already up and about, half of them were already gone. Silvino got up, threw on the breeches and dirty shirt that were his only clothes and headed for the reception. Where Rinaldo had said to meet him. He arrived to see the room a cluster of activity, most of the recruits were there in their dull white robes, accepting missions from Machiavelli and Emiliana.

Rinaldo was waiting for Silvino by the bottom of the stairs that led up to ground level, and were the main entrance to the Guild. "You're late, in future I expect you here at dawn, dressed and prepared. Before we begin training, Machiavelli has given me a purse to outfit you with." Rinaldo's voice was clipped, and Silvino reflected that he would rather stay on this man's good side, where he was light-hearted and cheerful, most of the time.

They went out the front door of the Guild, and emerged in a narrow street, the Guild was easily the largest building on Tiber Island, dwarfing the mess of slum housing and small shops that made up the rest of it. Rinaldo turned to Silvino, "I looked in the Armoury, and nothing in there is built for you, so first we'll go to the tailor, get you some robes, then the blacksmith, outfit you, and then the doctor for a medical kit. Follow me."

Silvino watched as they moved through several streets, the people they passed gave Rinaldo smiles and some women fluttered their hands when he passed, but the Assassin ignored them, it seemed that when Assassins were outside they always had their hoods up, which made sense to Silvino, then they were always unidentifiable.

Silvino smelt the tailor's shop before he saw it, a stench of offal, old cows and birdlime hung around the place. Rinaldo seemed unaffected by the ghastly smell, and walked straight up to the counter facing the street. "Is your master here?" He challenged a sallow youth leaning on the wooden counter. Behind him Silvino could see hanging leathers, pots of dye and several rolls of wool.

The youth slunk away into the back of the shop, and several seconds later a big man wearing a stained apron and a straggly multi-coloured beard came out and walked majestically to the counter. In the few paces he took he gave off an air of professionalism and pride in his work, he gave the hanging leather sheets a cursory glance, but the rolls of wool he grinned at, and Silvino could see it was exceptionally white wool. The Tailor smiled when he saw Rinaldo, and leant on the shop's counter, "Ah, _Ser_ Rocca, what does the Guild need today, or is this something personal, you seem to have a companion, who is the young man?" His voice was soft, the Tailor seemed to be a mash of different qualities, and quite likeable, in Silvino's opinion.

Rinaldo pulled his hood down after checking the street, "For the Guild I'm afraid, I don't need any more reason for you to practises your talent on making me more robes though, friend. And this man is our newest Recruit,nothing in our Armoury fits him, so he needs measurements taken and Recruits robes made, plus some normal clothes and underclothes for the robes." The Tailor sized Silvino up. "Looks like they aren't wasting any expense on you, young man, but then, they must think you're worth it. Come inside, my assistant will measure you, and I'll make up some robes while you go fulfil your other needs." So Silvino was measured, and the Tailor promised to have the robes spun up in several hours.

While they were being made, Silvino relaxed and drifted off in a corner of the shop, thinking about all the things he was going to do as an Assassin. He was woken by Rinaldo prodding him with his foot, the Tailor was holding a package. Rinaldo paid the tailor there and then, and the two men spent several minutes chatting while Silvino explored the shop. "You don't mind the smell then, to most of my Guild customers it's worse than the smell of death." Silvino turned from a huge sheet of leather to see the men watching him, the Tailor was smiling.

"No, I grew up in the slums, I can handle pretty much everything you'll see hear or smell in a big city like Rome." The Tailor seemed satisfied, but also curious.

"You speak like an educated boy, from the slums? Not very likely." Silvino had never really noticed this, but it had been pointed out to him. He didn't know the answer, maybe it was because Father Adelfo had tried to educate him, or that a scholar had rented out the room next to theirs. Either way, Silvino spoke like a boy who had grown up in the rich districts. He told the Tailor this, and the big man was satisfied. They said their goodbyes, and Rinaldo led them to the next shop, the Blacksmiths.

A smoky smell filled the street, and one of metal, the big sign hanging from a building with a crossed blade and hammer over an anvil showed their destination, a large shop that had sprawled out into the street under a lean-to with a water butt and makeshift counter under it.

From inside the Blacksmith's building came the sound of hammers and steaming water. Things were being forged here. Rinaldo led the way, and Silvino stayed behind, holding his new clothes. Rinaldo walked up to the counter, where a man similar in build to the Tailor waited, watching him with one eye, the other was covered by a black, leather eye-patch. "Maestro Rocca, a pleasure to see you. What can I do for you?" The Blacksmith's voice was old, gravelly, it spoke of experience and wisdom, and the scars that covered his bare arms and face suggested a life of fighting. Rinaldo leant over the confer and pulled out the purse, slightly depleted, "Marco, I need a sword, leather armour and dagger for this boy and," Here Rinaldo dropped his voice and looked around, "one of the other exclusive Guild products." Silvino strained to hear what he was saying, but couldn't catch it.

"Of course, _Ser_, I will need to take measurements on the boy, otherwise his blades won't fit, or his armour, for that matter."

The Blacksmith's shop was the most secretive and puzzling visit for Silvino, Marco measured his arm length, height, middle, the length of his legs, the width of his arm, the distance between each of his fingers, the size of his fist, the circumference of his arm, how far he could reach above his head, down to his toes and in front of him, and then retreated to a private forge at the back of the shop with his figures. Silvino asked Rinaldo why all the measurements were needed, the confused look on his face made Rinaldo laugh.

"He needs them to make the right weapons for you, you can't hold something like a falchion or halberd, but you can hold a short sword. So, instead of giving you a ready-made sword, Marco is making one to your height, width and reach. His swords are the best in Rome, maybe Southern Italy, since Milan make the best swords in the North. The dagger is the same, you need one that fits, their handles and the size of the pommel also matters, not forgetting the guard. The weapons need to be balanced and light, that is how Assassins fight, quickly and deadly. Also, Marco needs several other measurements for another blade he is making for you, but this one is special, and you must not lose it, or show it off."

Silvino listened, enraptured, to the impromptu lesson, but when it was over he found a seat and watched the Smithy run. An assistant ran the counter, peddling wares such as repairs, mass orders of weapons and kitchen equipment that the Blacksmith also did. Silvino enjoyed hearing him boast about the specialist orders that had been given to the Blacksmith, "The German ambassador, Hans Kessler, Duke of Bavaria, has just ordered one thousand of my master's finest sabres for the German cavalry. Also, come visit Blacksmith Marco's other establishments around Rome, by the _Signoria_, Colosseum and the Pantheon square."

Silvino listened closely at the mention of other shops, and made a mental note to ask the Tailor if there were any other establishments like his in Rome, it paid to have a good knowledge of somewhere, in Silvino's opinion.

It was now around lunchtime, and the day was a drizzly one, dirty clouds obscured the sun, and a light drizzle fell on the people walking in the streets. Rinaldo, from his perch leaning against the door, pointed at Silvino's new clothes, "You might want to put your new robes on, and the clothes the Tailor gave you, they go underneath. they are good in all weather, and the Tailor padded yours. Plus there's a hood, and it is raining."

This seemed like an order to Silvino, and as he put the robes on he reflected how sometimes Rinaldo seemed awkward with his student, but when going about business or walking through the streets, he was relaxed, if a little guarded. But he was an Assassin, though Tiber Island seemed a safe place for them. Silvino hadn't seen a single guard all day, they either didn't patrol Tiber Island, or avoided it because they knew what was on it.

When he had changed, he marvelled at his robes. They were like a cloak that went over his other clothes. The Tailor had spun him a white shirt with long sleeves that went on his top, and some long, brown breeches that went over his legs. Then came his robes. His shirt was tight fitting, and the robes had sleeves that slipped over them easily, the sleeves were long, and they didn't stretch or reveal his arms if he straightened them out, the rest of the robe was simply a cloak that went round his chest. The bottom part, a sort of skirt, stopped at just below his knees, and at the back extended to above his ankles at the back.

The bottom robes were comfortable, and Rinaldo thought, quite stylish. The robes had three ties at the front and one round the middle. The robes were tight around his chest, but the collar turned outside a little showing red on the inside and a glimpse of his chest. The sleeves had black threads spread evenly horizontally up the sleeves, and the chest and skirt area had some black threads going through them. The effect was that he didn't stand out, the white colour was faded, and he suspected that of he stood in a shadow, he would be invisible. To finish his appearance off, Silvino put the hood up, like Rinaldo, he felt like an Assassin, and hopefully looked like one.

Marco had finished the dagger first, and he fitted it on Silvino, the blade was a little longer than the handle, a tapered blade, with a notch cut down the middle. The pommel was a sphere of steel, in line with the blade, and about three quarters of an inch thick. The handle fitted him perfectly, and it was wrapped with faded red leather that gripped his hand. It was lovely, much better than any knife Silvino had seen before, and razor sharp, as he found out with his finger. He sucked his finger, and smiled ruefully at the two men, Marco smiled back.

"Only the best for the Guild, you keep me in business with expensive orders. Check the blade as well." Silvino did, and was surprised to find his name engraved lightly in the metal, he looked up gratefully at Marco, and the big man looked impressed with his own work, "It's the same with your sword, but that won't be finished for several days, swords take a while, your other order," To Rinaldo, "Will he finished by tomorrow, so I suggest you train him to use it then." Marco handed Silvino the sheath, it covered the whole blade, and hung at his front right side, it hung diagonally so it didn't impede his leg.

Silvino was incredibly happy with his dagger, and as Rinaldo paid he played with it, practising swings and twists. Marco hadn't finished though, and Silvino spent the next half an hour fitting leather armour over and under his robes. The chest guard went over his shirt, and was secured by a strap at the back and ties over his right shoulder. The pauldron went over his left shoulder and strapped across the side of his stomach and back up his back to keep it in place. There were tight brown leather gloves and two other pieces of armour. The greaves that went over his lower legs and new, tight-fitting boots. Finally the vambraces, which covered his wrists and lower arms as a sort of shield.

When Marco had finished, Silvino moved awkwardly, his robes still fitted, but the armour changed their shape so almost had to get used to wearing an entirely different set of clothes. He re-belted the robes back on and put his hood back up, sheathed his dagger and flexed his hands, "I feel, different, it's like these clothes make me act differently."

Rinaldo gave him a critical look, "You'll do, you suit these clothes, once you are trained you will make a good Assassin, wouldn't you say, Marco?"

he blacksmith folded his big arms, "The clothes fit him brilliantly, but he is still growing, he will be an expensive recruit, but yes, teach him well, and he has the potential to be better than many, if you look at how he moves , he makes no noise, he won't stand out in a crowd, he's not tall enough, but you might want to teach him to keep his head down when walking past guards, just a thought. Will that be all, _Ser_?"

Rinaldo nodded, and the two Assassins said their goodbyes again. Back in the street, Silvino noticed how the crowd flowed around Rinaldo, but distinctly avoided him, and gave him odd looks as they passed. "_Maestro_, they ignore you, but give you enough space, as if you aren't there, but they notice me and look at me, that's not good for an Assassin."

Rinaldo smiled from under his hood, "We're going to the doctor, this'll test you, follow me, I don't want to know you're there, and I'll yell thief if I see you near me. Good luck."

This sudden test threw Silvino, and Rinaldo moved off into the crowd. Almost immediately Silvino lost sight of him, since the man moved off down the street. Silvino straightened his hood, checked his dagger, and started moving. He tried to find the hood of the Assassin, and picked out the faded white cloth, just.

He started moving, but saw Rinaldo look back almost straight away, and wink at him. Silvino stopped, walked to the side of the street and waited in an alcove until Rinaldo turned the corner. He moved again, but down a side street he thought linked up with the main street. There were no people in this alley, but he saw to his relief that it did. The alley stank of dirt and piss, but Silvino bore it, and stayed in the shadow as Rinaldo passed the other end of the alley, he didn't look at Silvino, and the Recruit moved down the alley. He stayed out of the puddles, and made no noise. He peeked out of the alley, Rinaldo had moved down the street, but he was still close, Silvino looked for other ways to stay close other than directly behind him, but couldn't find any.

He stepped out into the street,and walked along it about twenty yards behind Rinaldo, and walked down the middle of the street, he stayed close to the shadows at the sides of the houses, trying not to be too conspicuous and walking with his head down and his hands at his sides.

Afterwards, Silvino decided it would have worked, if several young, arrogant men in fine clothes hadn't walked down the street. There were few people in the street, and the youths saw Silvino from the back, to them he looked like a beggar. To them, he was nothing more than prey, petty bastards that they were. They came from a richer district, and thought that this foray into the most lawless place in Rome made them look big and bad. Silvino heard the boys bragging about women they had got into bed as they approached him, but he was still concentrating on the unhurried form of Rinaldo up ahead.

He took a step round a puddle on the ground, and suddenly something behind him kicked him in the back and shoved him forward. He fell heavily, and turned over angrily, "What the fuck are you doing?" He saw who they were, "Who the fuck are you cocksuckers?" The three boys, all about his age, grinned down at him.

"Haha, so you ain't an old man, it don't matter, you don't talk like that to us anyway, give us your purse, scum." The centre one laughed as he said this, he was medium sized, but he looked a bit skinny as well. The left one could be a heavyweight boxer, and only his clothes marked him out as a human, his expression was that of a docile farm animal The right one was small and skinny, and sniggering.

Silvino got to his feet, he wasn't hurt, he had just been surprised. There was a fight coming, and he was ready. "I haven't got any money, so you wanna get lost, I'm going somewhere." The centre one laughed again, he had an annoyingly freaky laugh, as if he did it all the time, "Let's get him, haha!"

They didn't come all at once, but began to circle him, with the left one facing him, "Can't take me, even with your friends, you ain't fit to suck off a dog, coward!" Silvino goaded the one in front of him, and to his delight the youth snarled and charged. Silvino instinctively drew his dagger and slammed it forward, onto the youth as he came close, the boy gasped, his air of menace gone as he slipped backwards and fell.

Silvino withdrew his dagger, it was covered in blood, and his hand was drenched as well. The other two boys looked on in horror, then turned and ran as one. Silvino leant against the wall, the other people in the street had fled, and he had lost Rinaldo, so he was alone, he looked at the boy, and gasped as he saw that he was still alive, he knelt down, "I'm sorry, but that won't help, this is killing, then, never done it like this before. I stabbed someone once, but I dunno if they died or not because I ran off."

The boy kept looking at him, it was more than unnerving, it was creepy. The boy spoke, haltingly, "We shouldn't have... tried that on you, I'm... sorry, it doesn't hurt... my parents, they won't know." Silvino cried, he hadn't wanted this, and now someone innocent was dying, and he couldn't stop it, and he knew, his life had changed now, he was a murderer, and he decided then that he would never kill an innocent, but he would bring death quickly to those who harmed the weak and helpless. With this chance encounter, Silvino knew what it was to be an Assassin, and he was determined to be a good one.

Blood still came from the boy's chest, Silvino did nothing, he couldn't, the boy was dead, nothing could save him, but Silvino would stay with him. The boy insisted he was in no pain, and at the end, he slipped away quietly, Silvino said goodbye, got an indistinct reply, then nothing. The flow of blood had stopped, and Silvino heard boots on the stones. He looked up, white robes, a hood. His heart sank.

"Sorry _Maestro_, they attacked me and I defended myself, I didn't mean to kill him, I'm sorry."

Rinaldo wore his scowl again, "You should have ran, not confronted them, doubtless you wanted to show off your new dagger and felt like a real Assassin." He grabbed Silvino's robes and lifted him up, and slammed him against the wall. "This is not a fucking game, you hear me. This is real life, you are dangerous when you carry a weapon, I was a fool to let you have it straight away. You should always flee over fighting, you don't have the skills yet-"

"Then teach me, I want to learn how to fight with my body first, now weapons, I can punch and kick, but I need to know other ways of taking a man down. I will not kill any more innocents I swear it. I won't inflict fatal wounds unless I need to. I need this knowledge."

"You speak wisely for your years, but you still made a mistake, and interrupted me. You will be punished at the Guild, this will not happen again. I have your medical kit. Needless to say you failed in your given task, go back to the Guild, report to Machiavelli, tell him what happened, I will see you in the Reception tomorrow morning at dawn. Do not use your weapon unless I say so, ever again. Go, and I will get this cleared up."

Silvino walked slowly back to the Guild, he was ashamed, but his mind worked quickly. He knew some of Tiber Island, but a little more knowledge wouldn't help, Silvino looked for the tower of the Guild, easily the largest building on the island, and saw it protruding from a gap in the houses. He set off in it's direction, but chose different parts of the Island. He found out where the doctor's was, and also an art shop. Then, just before the bridge, he saw signs leading to a bank, in a cul-de-sac, he grinned at the find. A bank was an important find, though since he wasn't rich it wasn't much use to him, yet. An idea was forming in Silvino's brain, when he could confidently take down a man without a weapon, he would start robbing Borgia guards and properties under their protection, and use that to help the Guild.

Silvino had recovered from his shock of earlier, even though the boy's gaze still haunted him, he had removed his thinking from emotions, and concentrated on how he could make sure it wouldn't happen again, and how he could make it up to Rinaldo and the Guild. He knew he had made a big mistake with Rinaldo, but how the rest of the Guild would see it was a different matter.

Silvino looked up from his reverie and saw it was early evening, he quickly made his way to the Guild's front door. He wondered at the reception he would receive, and opened the heavy oak construction.

The reception was empty, a stark contrast to the bustle of the morning. Emiliana and another, female Recruit was with her, and they were poring over a chart on what seemed to be the desk where Recruits got their missions. They both glanced up when they saw Silvino, and the Recruit gasped.

Silvino realised he must have looked a mess, blood all up his arm and down his front, mud and piss on his legs where he had sat down in the street, and the grim look in his face told them something was wrong. Emiliana told the Recruit to keep looking at the map, and came over to Silvino, her face was stern, yesterday's smile had disappeared. Silvino moved into the room to meet her, "I'm sorry, _Maestro_, I messed up, is _Maestro_ Machiavelli here?"

Emiliana surveyed him fully, her gaze unreadable, "He is here, but what happened, are you hurt, you were in a fight, yes?" Silvino nodded, his gaze downcast under his hood.

"_Maestro_, I was attacked, by some boys, and I stabbed one, he died. _Maestro_ Rocca sent me back here." Emiliana frowned now, she told Silvino not to move and went to get Machiavelli. Silvino was exhausted, he had had a long and emotional day. Emiliana returned, with Machiavelli walking slowly behind her, he had his hands clasped together again, and glared coldly at Silvino.

The two Assassins stood in front of him, regarding him with cold looks, Machiavelli inquired as to what had happened, Silvino told him everything. They stayed quiet for several minutes afterwards, then Machiavelli spoke, "You will clean your robes, I don't care how, but get them clean. You will hand over your weapon, and until _Maestro_ Rocca trusts you, you will not get it back. You will continue training as you would have, but you will not go anywhere outside the Guild without telling a _Maestro_, and you will not he trusted with any task that takes you off Tiber Island until Rinaldo judges you ready. Is all this understood?" Silvino nodded bitterly, he didn't resent this restriction, he deserved it.

He felt completely different to how he had yesterday, he felt like a murderer, not an Assassin Recruit. The day's events had shown him he wasn't ready to handle himself on the streets of Rome, and that being an Assassin meant hard choices. The air of euphoria at getting his robes and dagger had gone, he was determined to be a good Assassin, and had no doubts what that entailed. Killing people, but the right ones. After today, it seemed he needed to learn who the right people were.

It seemed Rinaldo and Machiavelli had different opinions on what should happen to him, but right now he didn't care. The look on Emiliana's face as he had recounted his story had broken the barrier he had put around his emotions. He wanted to impress her, he wanted to be a good Assassin, and gain her approval, or better. These thoughts shocked him, as he suddenly realised what he was thinking. Silvino had not had many opportunities to get close to women before, and his attraction to Emliana confused him. He knew his feelings were a mess right now, Emiliana, his killing, and Rinaldo.

Silvino made his way to the kitchen, and asked the servant there how he could wash his robes. The woman directed him to a room where another woman showed him a basin of water and some cloths. He spent several hours scrubbing at the clothes, and eventually they were as clean as he could get them. He still carried the bag with the original clothes he had come to the Guild in, and changed into them while his robes dried. He went back up to the Meeting Room, and handed Machiavelli his dagger and sheath, then left silently.

He trekked back to the dormitory, hung up his robes to dry, and sat on his bed. It was past dusk by now, and nearing dinner time. Silvino knew he couldn't face the rest of the Guild, he just sat there and thought how he could redeem himself. He would train as hard as he could in hand-to-hand combat, and earn his weapons back. He stiffened his resolve by thinking of ways to sabotage the Borgia that would please the rest of the Guild. He yawned, and led back on his bed, drifting asleep.

He was nearly asleep when a familiar, soft voice said, "I didn't see you at dinner Silvino, you're hidng up here then." Silvino groaned, he didn't need this on top of everything else, even if the prospect of talking to Emiliana thrilled him slightly. The Assassin sat down on the bed next to his and fixed him with a disappointed look.

"I can't face the rest of the Guild tonight, tomorrow, I will begin to prove myself to them again, I messed up, but I think I can fix this if I work hard."

Emiliana sighed, "Silvino, not facing it just makes it worse, it's childish, you should have come down and apologised to everyone, shown them that you are sorry, the other Recruits are saying you don't know what it means to be an Assassin, and all the _Maestros_ are disappointed in you."

Emiliana moved to sit on Silvino's bed, Silvino sat up, what she had said had stiffened his resolve further, "I know what to do, and I know what being an Assassin means now, I won't try to make excuses for what I did, it was an instinctive reaction. Since I'm not allowed a weapon any more, I thought I would focus more on hand-to-hand combat, so I don't need weapons. Is that a good thing to do?"

Emiliana's expression changed, she gave a slight smile, "it seems you've chosen my area of expertise to concentrate on." It is a good idea, and if you are good at it then I'm sure _Maestro_ Rocca will forgive you. I'll talk to him and ask if for a few days I can train you. I'm sure he won't object, he has to deal with your mess, so he doesn't want to see you for a few days. So get some sleep. Reception, dawn tomorrow, and we'll begin close-combat training."

Silvino led down again, and as she walked out the room, he spoke softly, "Goodnight, u_no splendido_."

She tensed her shoulders, looked back and smiled a smile that set Silvino's heart racing. "Goodnight, my little Assassin."

Silvino lay for hours in the dark, worrying about how Emiliana felt about him. He heard the other Recruits come in and settle down, and several whispered conversations with his name in. One, between two of the biggest male Recruits, frightened him, "Machiavelli and Ezio were talking about what to do with him, I heard them talking about ways they could get rid of him."

"Yeah, and Rinaldo was sulking, I suppose Silvino was his responsibility.."

"So it looks bad on him. Hmm, if they expel him, we can't let him walk around telling everyone about us."

"They'll have to make sure he stays quiet."

"that's cynical, Severino, they aren't like that."

"Well what are they going to do, Fedele? Come on, let's get to bed, got to get that stolen money back to shop owners tomorrow."

"Yeah, we do. Goodnight amico."


	3. An awakening

Chapter 3

A/N And again, third time today, I am on a roll! Alright guys, third chapter, The second one's been up a couple of hours or something by now, and I hope you've read it. Most of this was written in France, well, about up to the bit at the end of the tunnels (spoilers!). But after that, some of it is remembered from after I deleted the note with all this info on, this chapter will give you some background on Emiliana, and show you Silvino's true skills. I hope you enjoy it, this won't be as long as chapter 2, cause there isn't as much content to go into it, I think... But it'll still be good, once again, enjoy. And review if you find any mistakes or you want anything elaborated, or requests for content. I'm starting to feel like a youtuber, encouraging you to review and stuff, but review and hits are the reason I do this, and it's nice to know you're work is being appreciated by the many :).

P.S I'm not good at romance, so if the romancey bit is kinda cheesy, don't blame me, I've never tried writing it before... *shrugs

The morning sun shone bright on the floor of the Recruits' dormitory, and the sounds of the other Recruits getting dressed awoke Silvino. He lay in bed for a minute, feeling completely at ease. He got up, then stretched for a minute. He got dressed and buckled on his armour, and walked down to the reception with his hood up. He saw Emiliana and Rinaldo talking heatedly in the corner, and wondered what they could be arguing about for a second. Then he cursed his morning stupidity, and, seeing an opportunity to know more about what they thought of him, sidled over with his head down.

"Rinaldo, let me train him for today, I know what I want to teach him, and he has told me he wants to learn it."

"What does he want to learn then? I was going to teach him how to move on rooftops, something he can't cause more damage with, and perhaps how to approach a target without being seen."

"He wants to learn how to defend himself, so I was going to teach him the basic Martial Arts,and if he is good at it, more advanced moves. I can also teach him how to move discreetly in a crowd, since that'll compliment what you want to teach him. So how does that feel?"

"Alright! But don't go filling his head full of nonsense, make him aware that he is still not safe on the streets until he can move with immunity."

"Thank you Rinaldo, I relish having new students."

Silvino moved off, and stood by the stairs to the door, and turned to find both Assassins standing in front of him. Rinaldo spoke, "Emiliana will be teaching you today. Don't mess up again." He growled at the last sentence, and moved off. Emiliana smiled at Silvino, and gestured for him to follow her. Silvino followed, bemused, as Emiliana walked down several corridors and stairs. Why weren't they going out into Tiber Island.

She reached a small door set in a cul-de-sac of a corridor, and looked back at him, "This is the Guild's entrance to the tunnel system there are eighteen entrances, Rinaldo carried you all the way from the Barracks to here, he thought you showed promise.

I sometimes wonder if he enjoys being an Assassin, he's so grim all the time. You'll be training in the Barracks today." Silvino stayed quiet, and followed Emiliana as she opened the door and stepped into the darkness beyond.

The tunnel was dark, but not pitch black, since many vents gave it a small amount of light from the surface. Emiliana moved along the path, and Silvino followed, marvelling at how the builders of this tunnel had incorporated the tiny shafts of light that made it incredibly easy to move along. Torches would have been easier, but, he reflected, constantly putting new torches along this place would be expensive, hard to do in secret and rob travellers of their night vision. He noticed that Emiliana was shuddering slightly as they walked. Well, it is a little scary, he thought.

Rats scurried along them by their feet, and spiders' eyes glittered on the walls as they passed. Silvino was a little depressed by the gloominess, but realised that he wasn't scared, and he could move in this darkness easily. The creatures didn't bother him, and there was enough light to see well. This comfort with darkness surprised him, it was not unfamiliar, yet alien, as if he had experienced it before, but not to his knowledge.

Emiliana must be feeling different, he thought. Her shuddering had increased, and her steps became halting. "Are you okay?" She shook her head, Silvino marvelled at the change that had occurred. The strong, female Assassin was gone, and replaced by a shaking, frightened young woman. Silvino moved past her, deciding to take control, "Hey, let me lead, hold on to my hand, and tell me the directions. Okay?" She nodded, seemingly paralysed with fear.

As he moved off, she spoke in a tiny voice,"I'm sorry, I was always scared of this place, I thought I had got over it. Don't ever tell anyone in the Guild about this, or I'll never forgive you!" Silvino nodded, glad that the strong woman he knew was still there to make threats. They continued through the tunnels in silence, nearly. Emiliana shuddered every time she saw an animal, and moaned when she heard them.

Silvino tried to start a conversation, thinking it might help her fear. "I don't know why, but I feel like I belong in this darkness. I'm not scared, and I know that I'm invisible, maybe that's the Assassin in me." She didn't answer, and Silvino put it down to the fear. They continued for several miles, and suddenly Silvino noticed that Emiliana's hand was no longer on his wrist, but intertwined with his , he had been so focussed on seeing where he was going and remembering the route they had taken that he didn't realise it. He didn't say anything, just continued walking.

Eventually, they reached a ladder which went up to a grate. "Emiliana had gradually regained her composure as they got closer to the Barracks, and now span Silvino to face her. "Thank you, I couldn't have made it here on my own. Now, it seems I owe you one?" And she smiled coyly at him and raised her eyebrows.

Silvino suddenly noticed that he was a little bit taller than her, and she was looking up at him. He stammered, "Um, I don't know, errr, you decide, I guess." She laughed, that lovely, sweet voice, and before he knew she had, she kissed him, on the lips. For several seconds, he was shocked, immobilised, then she pulled away, and his knees went shaky.

"Well, that was nice, although it can't go any further than here. And it doesn't change anything between us." Her words went through to his paralysed brain, and he numbly nodded. "Wow, thank you, errm, yeah." His stumbling words must have amused her, because she laughed, squeezed his hand and jumped onto the ladder. She was halfway up when she realised he had stayed still, and she called back, "You coming, my little Assassin?" Silvino unfroze, and scuttled up the ladder behind her.

Emiliana swung the grate out, and stepped into a patch of sunlight, and Silvino followed. Reaching the top of the ladder, the bright light startled him and he staggered forwards as his eyes got used to the midday sunlight. It seemed they had been in the tunnel for several hours, it was about, ten, judging by the sun. He looked around when he was finally able to see again, and realised exactly where he was. He was at the same Barracks where Rinaldo had taken him, and _Dottore_ Cesare had drugged him.

He was in a position now to observe the actual layout of the Barracks, and he shrewdly memorised the layout. Four walls, two gates, and bastions on the corners, that was the basic layout, but like everything, people had improvised on top. Several buildings were tacked onto the wall, built into it with sloping, tiled roofs. A corner bastion had been converted into a Thieves Guild safehouse, judging by the signs and the thin young men loitering in the dust around it. Several other buildings appeared to be rather Spartan housing, and a set of stables, and even a forge, Silvino noticed. Two final details caught his eye, a small cart with a lean-to attached which looked like Dottore Cesare's place, and the eye-catching square building that dominated the Barracks.

A huge house, a solid, with no little garden in the middle or anything, three storeys high, made out of dressed stone and marble. Statues perched on the corners, a horse with a huge spike coming out of it's head, two ugly, grotesque, bat-like things and a roaring lion. Silvino was taken aback, the straght lines, neat arches and columns of the building made it look rather impressive. The wooden window had flowerpots hung on their sills, and an Ivy stem flowed up one corner in a twisted seam of green.

Silvino stood there for almost a minute, just taking in every detail of the place, but was pulled back to normality by Emiliana yelling at him, "Silvino, come on, we came here to train, not daydream, move." Silvino jogged over, realising two things yet again, one, the Emiliana he was going to train with was hard and demanding. Two, his robes felt as if they were made for running, they flew out behind him and looked cool, and didn't rub, anywhere!

Emiliana was standing by the main door to the house, underneath a cube carved out of the frame, which was held up by a marble pillar covered in carvings. She rapped heavily on the door, and heavy footsteps could be heard, then the door was wrenched open. "What is it, more fucking attacks! I'm sick of these french fuckers. Well? Who are you? Robes, eh, two of Ezio's lot?" Silvino stepped back in surprise. Standing in front of him was the largest man he had ever seen. Bloodshot, slightly mad eyes and a beaky nose peeked out of a face covered in a bushy black moustache and tightly cropped, jet black hair. The man was wearing a blue tunic, heavily padded, with ruffs at the upper arm and frills by the wrists. The expensive looking garment did not fit with the angry man, but the clothes suited him better when Silvino noticed the bloodstains and food stains down the front and legs.

Emiliana bowed, then fixed the man with a cold glare, "Bartolomeo, I'm here to train a Recruit, I need the use of several men, a training ground, and the rest of the day." Her voice was much harsher than Silvino had ever heard it, maybe she was trying to show she wasn't intimidated by this bear of a man, who stood three feet taller than her.

Bartolomeo frowned, scratched his forehead, then seemed to make up his mind, "Needy bitch, aren't you, well I've got more important matters, a French army breathing down my neck, traitors, and that cocksucker Cesare trying to have me assassinated. You can wait." And with that savage rebuff, Bartolomeo turned and walked back inside the house, muttering to himself.

Then, Silvino heard raised voices, and definitely heard Bartolomeo say a protest of some kind. The speaking finished, and Bartolomeo could be heard stamping off, a woman in her thirties came to the door and leant on the frame. She was pretty, in a homely way, and she wore a flared dress that hid her figure and chest. Silvino was privately disappointed. "I'm sorry about Bartolomeo, he's under a lot of stress right now, I hope you can forgive him, it's probably not a good idea to use his Mercenaries for your training, just enlist the help of some thieves. I'm sorry, again, but the French are pressuring us quite a lot right now. Have a nice day, Assassins, and give my regards to Ezio, Bartolomeo holds him in such high regard."

Emiliana, her face cold, thanked the woman and stalked off, and the woman smiled at Silvino and closed the door. Silvino smiled back, and then followed Emiliana to the Thieves Guild house. Emiliana stalked up to a group of four thieves, who were lounging around the corner of their building. "You lot, on that training ground, now, you're helping the Assassins today. Now!" The Thieves complied, rather than risk Emiliana's wrath. Silvino didn't know what to expect now, this new Emiliana had thrown all his perceptions out the window.

Emiliana faced Silvino on the dusty ground, and fixed him with what seemed her permanent glare, "Today, you're going to learn how to attack, and defend yourself, with skill and grace. You said you wanted to learn how to take a man down quickly and silently, this is how, attack me." She settled onto her haunches, her hands held out in front of her, looking right at his eyes.

Silvino stood awkwardly, his arms held loosely by his sides, "Um, how?" He asked, not really sure what Emiliana wanted, she glared, then spoke quickly.

"Alright, I'll attack you, we'll learn defending first, it seems." And with that, she sprang into the air to land a few feet in front of him, sprinted several steps, and attacked! Her foot swung into his kneecap, deadening it, then she palmed his chin with with enough force to lift him off his feet and fly several metres backwards. "Hmm, you didn't even try, well, we have work to do."

The next few hours were the most excruciating of Silvino's life, first she taught him several moves to defend himself with, using him and the Thieves as test dummies. Silvino was tossed, tripped, thrown and kicked down. Then he had to do the same thing to the Thieves, and if he showed hesitation Emiliana would punish him by demonstrating another move on him. Silvino quickly learnt to hide his emotions of guilt for hitting these Thieves that weren't allowed to fight back, and set to it with a will, not wanting to be hurt through any more hesitations.

Once he had learnt the specialist moves, Emiliana went on to the knock-out moves, a water barrel was procured, and the Assassin systematically showed Silvino pressure points to collapse a person, put them unconscious, and then revived them with the water. She taught Silvino how to immobilise a man by pressing his nerve clusters, and causing intolerable pain.

By lunchtime, the Thieves were casting murderous glances at the Assassins, but were slightly rectified when Emiliana recapped all the things she had taught Silvino, on him. Silvino was knocked out and revived consecutively sixteen times, and his entire body was a mess of bruises. He gratefully sat down for half an hour and ate ham and bread, washed down with cold water, which the Thieves turned down for beer. Emiliana didn't eat, but Silvino, after realising he hadn't eaten anything yesterday, nor had breakfast, ate ravenously.

After lunch, Emiliana began to show Silvino how to defend himself from an attack, how to deflect a punch, how to turn a kick on an attacker, and how to get out of a grapple. "But," she advised him after she had finished, "attack is the best form of defence, and what I am about to test you with will prove that, use everything you have learned"

Silvino was tired, numbed, and dirty, but when he straightened up the small crowd that had gathered noticed how he held himself. There was an air of experience about him that hadn't been there in the morning, he had gone past his pain barrier, he had defeated it, and he had learnt how to fight along the way. The watching Mercenaries recognised, they saw a fellow killer standing there, a dangerous man who knew he could take you down whenever he wanted to.

Emiliana called to the Thieves and the crown, "You see this boy, I've taught him a lot today, but now he's gotta test it, I want you to attack him, as many as you want at a time, but he has not passed until he defeats all of you, if you knock him unconscious, he has failed, and his beatings will continue," here she winked, "so take him, go, or are you all too afraid..."

The men all glared at her, they had been challenged, and their manly honour was impugned. Silvino faced eleven men, four lithe Thieves and seven, stocky, huge Mercenaries. The Mercenaries took off their armour and dropped their weapons, and three of them came towards him. They took up positions around him, then the leader called, and they rushed him.

He ducked and rolled, catching them off guard, he came up past one, and jabbed his side, hard. It was not a blow that did anything special apart from wind the man, and he fell to his knees, groaning. Silvino could sense the other two behind him, his adrenaline was pumping and time seemed to have slowed, he was more aware of the world than he ever had been. He jumped and tried a spinning kick, his boot's heel caught another Mercenary in the cheek, and the force knocked the man sideways. Silvino landed, then crouched as the final Mercenary's fist flew above him, he grappled the man, clenching his middle in a bear hug and taking him down. He brought his elbow up, and slammed it into the man's shoulder, dislocating it and taking him out of the fight.

The Mercenary screamed, and Silvino rolled off him as his good arm clawed the got to his feet, turned and thrust his arm to block a punch from the second Mercenary, who was sporting a rapidly swelling bruise on his cheek. Silvino grabbed the man's wrist in a lightning fast manoeuvre, threw it to the side and hit the man's ribs with his hardest, fastest punch. The Mercenary stumbled backwards, and Silvino finished that fight by reaching past the man's clumsy defence, gripping the back of his neck and squeezing. The Mercenary collapsed, completely knocked out.

Silvino turned and threw a cocky grin at Emiliana, who shrugged and gestured at two Thieves behind Silvino. Then she called, "No fatalities boys, remember!" The Thieves bundled Silvino, bringing him down, one pinned his legs while another grabbed his shirt. His eyes were manic, and Silvino saw a weakness in the man's extra-long nose. He threw his head forward, and his vision was suddenly clouded by a mist of blood.

Silvino pushed the dazed Thief off him with his left hand, and twisted the other's kneecap with his right. The young man howled and hopped away. Silvino got to his feet, his face was covered in blood, but he could not wipe it since his hands were covered in sweat and grit. He looked a mess, but he was not going to stop.

He jumped back instinctively, pushed his hood up a little and bought his foot up. The Thief was close enough, and Silvino's leg muscles bunched, then stretched. The sole of his boot caught the Thief in the thigh, incapacitating him with an almost girlish scream. He crawled away, and Silvino turned, snarling, to his next opponent. The Thieves bundling him from behind had pissed him off, and he was prepared to fight savagely. It seemed the other two Thieves were next, looking rather cautious as they approached him one by one.

Silvino growled, pulled his head down to expose his wild face, and jumped on the first thief, he jabbed two fingers into the man's side savagely, then gripped his opposite elbow. The man was knocked out, and Silvino rolled his body over and stood to meet the last Thief. The man, unwilling to learn tried to use one of the things practised on him earlier and aimed a kick at Silvino's knee. The boy saw, twisted so it went past him, and did two things. He moved like a snake and gripped the man's upper thigh, then he flipped it backward, throwing the man's body onto the ground. He brought his right arm up in the air, and brought it down savagely on the man's stomach, the man puked as he fell unconscious, which revived him and he fell into a state of coughing onto the dirt beside him.

Silvino felt better than he ever had before, he was so fast! Another Mercenary came, a big man who normally wielded an axe, Silvino let him reach for his neck in preparation for a headbutt, Silvino let it come, but leant back so it missed. Then as the slow man tried to reorientate himself, Silvino reached between the man's legs with his hand, and twisted... The big man staggered, screaming shrilly, and Silvino wiped his hand on his leg in distaste.

He turned, three Mercenaries left, he couldn't be bothered with fancy stuff for this, and adopted a brawling style. One came to spar with him, and Silvino blocked the first one, then hammered his opponent's chest through an opening and forced him back. The man was on his back foot, struggling for balance, so Silvino hit him squarely in the groin with his foot, and pushed him down into the dirt. Only two enemies left, and Silvino, his cunning mind still working, through the fight, wanted to impress Emiliana with his finale. The final two would try and beat him into submission from the front, so an idea formed in Silvino's head. He blocked a punch, dislocating the wrist with a simple twist, then threw his arm up to counter another one. The force of the blow almost took him down, but he recovered, and it had hurt the other guy more, since his leather vambrace absorbed most of the impact. The one on the left had his dislocated hand hung limply by his side, but he was preparing his other one for an uppercut.

Time seemed to slow down completely for Silvino, he watched the punch move through thin air, twisted to avoid it, then reached out with his left hand to grab the back of the man's neck. Then he reached across with his right hand, touched a nerve cluster in the shoulder bone to incapacitate the other man, who was still rubbing his injured hand after the vambrace impact. He grabbed the man's neck, and then slowed so Emiliana could see what he was doing. He brought the men's foreheads together spectacularly, with a sickening crunch, and they both dropped to the floor, unconscious.

Silvino fixed Emiliana with a tired glare, "Did I pass?"

Instead of replying, the Assassin clapped, slowly and sarcastically, she wore an expression of deep thinking, and she studied Silvino up and down, "I have never seen such an instinctive fighter, you always knew where they were, what they were doing, what you were doing. I think you were born to this, Silvino. Oh, you passed, I expected you to take several down, and then be overwhelmed, but even if they had all rushed you, you would have found a way out of it."

The fallen men were crawling away, or just lying there, since Silvino had knocked them out, Emiliana stepped over a prostate Mercenary, towards Silvino. She stopped in front of him, and searched his face, Silvino stood there, his adrenaline rush had gone, but he still stood tall and confident, the fighting had definitely changed him. "Nobody is that good after one day of training. Nobody is that fast, not without years of practise. You, are not possible. I... the only thing I can think of... basically, you're an amazing fighter, with so much potential. We will keep training together, I don't know how often, but yours is a talent I want to develop."

She sounded awed, impressed, Silvino's heart swelled with pride, Emiliana respected him, she was impressed by him, he had impressed her. He smiled, letting all the tension accumulated over the day fall away from him. He was suddenly more exhausted than he had ever been, and he fell backwards to land in the dust. He breathed out deeply, feeling all his bruises and aches all over again.

He laid back, looked up at the sky, and felt fulfilled, he had discovered a new him today, a fast, ruthless, but gentle him. He felt changed, he felt like he had been occupied by some other, higher presence, he knew he was a better person now. But he couldn't figure out how. It was similar to the feeling in the tunnels, he was familiar with being this fast and deadly, like he had done it before, and was good at it, but didn't know how to do it yet.

It was late afternoon, and Silvino was so tired he would have slept in the dust, but for the next hour he sat by Dottore Cesare's home,stripped to the waist and covered in damp cloths to bring out the bruising. The wounded Thieves and Mercenaries were getting the same treatment, but Silvino sat apart from them, knowing they would resent how easily he had defeated them.

He instead focussed on the house, taking in it's contours, the simple touches in the stonework that made the Architect. He sighed, he was still exhausted. Then, someone tapped him on the shoulder, he turned round, confused, Emiliana was sending a carrier pigeon to the Guild to tell them about Silvino. A Mercenary was standing there, the big one who Silvino had humiliated by twisting his crotch. "Assassin, you are the fastest, most instinctive fighter I have ever seen, you took us all and still stood, that's skill, and guts, you didn't even flinch at the prospect. We just wanted to say, I mean, no hard feelings, from all of us. And visit any time, I would love to spar with you, see how long you last." he held out a weathered, calloused hand, and Silvino took it silently. He had expected the men to hate him, but they recognised a fellow warrior, and saw how he had hesitated when told to attack. They respected him as one of their own, a brother in their fight against the Borgia. Silvino saw all this in the men's expressions, and he smiled tiredly. He thanked all of them, and received a round of handshakes and back-slapping, before Emiliana came and told him they were going back to the Guild.

He said goodbye to all the men, then strolled happily after Emiliana as she led him out of the gates of the Barracks, "So where two, _Maestro_, over the hills and... back to the city?" She nodded, she must not want to go back through the tunnels. The journey back to the Guild was uneventful, and once Silvino settled into a walking rhythm he became complacent, almost walking asleep. He barely noticed as they moved from the countryside to the slum districts, or as they crossed the _Ponte Emilio_ onto Tiber Island, or the admiring looks he got as they walked into the Guild, the news about his skills had spread. Emiliana dismissed him for the day, congratulating him, got a vague thank you for her troubles and watched as he set off for the kitchens.

Silvino was tired, but he was also in a good mood, and he was smiling as he asked for some bread at the kitchens, then, as he leaned against the wall, he yawned and nearly slept there. The cook, a kind old woman, got out a loaf, put it on a plate with a bowl of soup, and ushered him kindly out of the kitchen. She smiled as he shuffled off, yawning.

Silvino made it up to the Recruits' dormitory, and ate his small dinner on the windowsill at the end of the room. He finished it, made a mental note to return the plate, then shrugged off his robes and armour and got into bed. He almost fell asleep immediately, but spent several minutes staring out the window as the last light faded from the sky. He thought how much he had changed and achieved in one day, and knew that coming to the Guild was the best decision he had ever made.

He slept contentedly, not knowing how the other recruits stared at him when they came to bed, wondering how this boy had impressed _Maestro_ Emiliana that she had defended him from Machiavelli's comments, and pleaded Ezio to let him stay at the Guild, boasting about his abilities.


End file.
